Emergency Medical Services and its significance today

Emergency Medical Services (EMS) is an essential part of healthcare, since it provides immediate care and saves lives. It is universally acknowledged that if a victim is tended to within twenty minutes to half an hour after an emergency – cardiac strokes, road accidents and seizures – with pre hospitalisation care, has a good chance of survival and such cognisance has led to much research and development in emergency medicine.

It should be the ethical duty of the government and hospitals to put in place a reliable EMS system, since pre hospitalisation care in ‘The Golden Hour’ is imperative and many lives can be saved in Delhi and across the nation, if we have a robust EMS system in place – though there has been substantial improvement in this area but there is a long way to go –, which is reliable and transparent to avoid avoidable deaths and disabilities. We need more NGO’s and (private) hospitals to come forward with a unified mission to timely respond to emergencies.

The city of Delhi requires better emergency medical and trauma services, since the population of Delhi/NCR and the number of – unrequited – emergency and trauma cases has grown by leaps and bounds in the preceding years. In 2015, Delhi had 1622 road accident deaths, which is highest among cities, as reported by the Press Trust of India.

Also, present day traffic conditions in Delhi and other cities can be life threatening for people in need of emergency and trauma care. Delhi is infamous for its traffic jams, lack of discipline on the roads, and insensitivity. Numerous lives have been lost owing to deplorable traffic conditions and lack of support from the people.

A very popular concept in the state of Karnataka and Tamil Nadu to tackle such an issue are two wheeler motorcycle ambulances with trained paramedics and life saving drugs, which saves crucial time.

Dependable emergency medical and critical care is need of the hour, and its significance cannot ever be overstressed in a country like India where majority of the people are underprivileged and deprived of healthcare services.

There ought to be mass training programs on basic life support among the community for people in distress. Such an initiative calls for participation not just from the government and hospitals, but the entire community. A common man with a few basic life support techniques can certainly save a life as opposed to a bystander with no training at all. Reliable EMS shall be unsuccessful in isolation, and without mutual cooperation from the people.

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Founder of the Aakash Healthcare, Dr Aashish is coming up with its first super-specialty 230 bedded hospital in Dwarka, New Delhi. He is an active member of various national and international bodies that include Asia Pacific Orthopedic Association (APOA); Indo-German Orthopedic Foundation; Asian Association for Dynamic Osteosynthesis; SICOT, Brussels, Belgium; International Medical Science Academy; Delhi Orthopedic Association; Indian Orthopedic Association; Trauma Life Support Society Of India, Kochi; Indian Medical Association to name a few. He is the Ex- Joint Secretary, Indian Orthopedic Association (Session 2009-2011); and has Fellowship status with American College of Surgeons (F.A.C.S.); International College of Angiology (F.I.C.A.), New York, USA and Indian Medical Association (F.I.M.A.)

Founder of the Aakash Healthcare, Dr Aashish is coming up with its first super-specialty 230 bedded hospital in Dwarka, New Delhi. He is an active member of various national and Show more.. international bodies that include Asia Pacific Orthopedic Association (APOA); Indo-German Orthopedic Foundation; Asian Association for Dynamic Osteosynthesis; SICOT, Brussels, Belgium; International Medical Science Academy; Delhi Orthopedic Association; Indian Orthopedic Association; Trauma Life Support Society Of India, Kochi; Indian Medical Association to name a few. He is the Ex- Joint Secretary, Indian Orthopedic Association (Session 2009-2011); and has Fellowship status with American College of Surgeons (F.A.C.S.); International College of Angiology (F.I.C.A.), New York, USA and Indian Medical Association (F.I.M.A.)